Carmina Useros facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carmina Useros
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Carmina Useros with a Moorish oven
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| Born |
Carmina Useros Cortés
24 February 1928 Albacete, Spain
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| Died | 23 March 2017 (aged 89) Albacete, Spain
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| Alma mater | Complutense University of Madrid |
| Occupation | Writer, ceramist, painter, cultural manager |
| Spouse(s) | Manuel Belmonte González |
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Carmina Useros Cortés (born February 24, 1928 – died March 23, 2017) was a talented Spanish writer, ceramist (someone who works with clay), painter, and cultural manager. She loved to research and share the food, crafts, and traditions of Albacete, a region in Spain. She was one of the first women in Spain to become a well-known expert in gastronomy (the art of good eating).
Carmina was also the president and director of the Chinchilla de Montearagón National Ceramics Museum. She was a member of the Institute of Albacete Studies and helped start the Castilian-Manchego Gastronomy Academy. She was also an honorary member of the Athenaeum of Albacete and led the Cueva de la Leña Art Gallery.
Her Life Story
Carmina Useros studied teaching in Albacete. She also studied Philosophy and Literature at the Complutense University of Madrid. In the 1950s, she taught women how to read and write. Until 1972, she cooked for a charity in Albacete. In the 1970s, she was the only woman to sign a letter supporting a group that wanted democracy in Spain.
She married an eye doctor named Manuel Belmonte González. In 1968, they started traveling around the Province of Albacete. They researched and helped save important cultural traditions. Carmina used these experiences to write books. One was a cookbook called Mil recetas de Albacete y su provincia (A Thousand Recipes of Albacete and its Province) in 1971. Another was En busca de la Artesanía de Albacete (In Search of the Crafts of Albacete) in 1973.
Later, Carmina and Manuel traveled even more. They explored the entire Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic and Canary Islands. They collected many items related to clay crafts. These items became the start of the National Ceramics Museum in Chinchilla de Montearagón. This area has been known for working with clay since ancient times. In 1970, they also restored the Agujero de Chinchilla Caves. They turned these caves into an art gallery.
Carmina Useros was very passionate about the famous book Don Quixote. In 1971, she organized the "Ruta del Quijote" (Don Quixote Route). In 1995, she started a special event. Every first Sunday of the month, she would host readings of Don Quixote. These readings took place in a village called Casa del Olivar. She even offered food inspired by the book to everyone who came.
Carmina and Manuel had five children: Manuel, Pilar, José Pablo, the politician Carmina Belmonte, and the singer Elisa Belmonte.
Carmina Useros passed away in Albacete on March 23, 2017, after being ill for a long time.
Awards and Recognitions
In 2002, Carmina Useros received the "Albacetian of the Year" award. This award was given to her by José Bono, who was the President of Castilla–La Mancha at the time.
The famous writer and food expert Manuel Vázquez Montalbán mentioned her in his novel La Rosa de Alejandría. He called her "the excellent Carmina Useros."
Images for kids
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Carmina Useros in the museum she created with her husband
See also
In Spanish: Carmina Useros para niños
